


The Confidant

by Wookiesauntie70



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars-All media types, Star Wars-Bloodline
Genre: 'Canto Bight' (novel) references, F/M, Major ‘Bloodline’ spoilers, New Galactic Alliance, ben solo redemption, detailed chapter notes for those unfamiliar with Claudia Gray’s novel, who Matt Smith ought to play in TRoS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-17 05:38:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17554403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wookiesauntie70/pseuds/Wookiesauntie70
Summary: Ransolm Casterfo returns to Leia Organa.Am I truly the only one who believes this character could play a pivotal role in Episode IX? So much speculation, so many rumours—yet his name never seems to come up in any of it.Set one year after TLJ.





	1. The Music Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having learned that Princess Leia is failing, her friend and former Senate rival Ransolm Casterfo finally comes to the Resistance.

Poe Dameron slipped out of the hushed chamber and left Chewbacca and Threepio to maintain their vigil at Leia’s bedside. Nearly everyone closest to the General was gone now—Han Solo, her brother Luke. Who knew what had become of her son? She’d never so much as mentioned him.

Poe had been tempted just now to tuck the errant strand of hair resting on Leia’s pale cheek back into place. He could hold her hand, he could call her ‘Leia’—she insisted on that—but deep down, Dameron knew he hadn’t ever been her confidant. She was his General. He was her subordinate. Going so far as to touch her hair felt like too intimate a gesture. 

Lost in his own troubled thoughts, Poe took little notice of the tall stranger in the long green coat who entered the medbay as he exited. Slightly older than Poe Dameron, the sandy-haired newcomer paused to make a polite inquiry of the first medical staffer he encountered.

The medical officer was surprised. Surely this stranger wasn’t serious? He could hardly expect to be admitted to the General’s bedside without proper credentials.

Nevertheless, he did as the stranger requested and sought General Organa’s golden protocol droid. Calling security seemed unnecessary given the formidable Wookiee already at the General’s side. Besides, if this man was some sort of threat he’d have been stopped long before making it this far into the base. 

 

When Leia’s protocol droid arrived the tall stranger inclined his head politely. “Threepio.” Despite his clever facial disguise voice recognition software ensured he didn’t need to utter another word.

C-3PO surely conveyed as much astonishment as any droid ever had: “Goodness gracious me!” If he’d had eyelids he would have blinked in surprise. “I expect you’ll wish to follow me, sir.”

Sir? The perplexed medical officer watched the golden droid escort the impeccably dressed man directly to the General after all.

 

The raw emotion evident on the stranger’s face was cue enough for Chewbacca to slip quietly from his seat. He nodded to the man who’d come to see Leia, wordlessly offering him use of the stool he’d just vacated before ghosting out of the small chamber to wait outside. 

The sandy-haired man pulled it closer to the head of Leia’s pallet and sat down, seemingly unaware of Threepio’s presence in the doorway. He sat in silence for some time and studied the pale, delicate features of the woman before him. He was once again reminded of how petite she really was. Her diminutive physical size had always been such a contrast to the gigantic force of her personality.

“Hello, Leia,” he said softly. “I’ve brought you something.” By that he meant what he should have taken to her right away seven long years ago. Instead, he’d allowed his hatred of Darth Vader to blind him to all that his heart knew of Leia Organa long enough to nearly destroy her. He reminded himself that regrets were useless.

 

He slipped a tiny music box out of his pocket. 

It was entirely unremarkable save for the fact this particular childhood keepsake belonged to the princess and contained a secret always intended for her ears alone. It had taken some doing to track it down again after all this time.

Ransolm’s long fingers trembled slightly as he lifted its lid. He bowed his head as Bail Organa’s message began to play along with the strains of an Alderaanian lullaby, ‘Mirrorbright’, one so beloved to Leia he knew she’d named her ship for it. He’d spend the rest of his life atoning for the moment he’d opened that mirrored trinket before the entire Galactic Senate and denounced Leia as Darth Vader’s daughter.

Her reputation had been shattered in an instant, her political career destroyed. Worst of all, that horribly public revelation had deprived Leia of the chance to tell her son the truth of his heritage. Ransolm had opened a child’s music box, and that single act had irrevocably altered the fate of the entire galaxy. 

As the recorded message accompanying the melody neared its end, he placed the music box on the bed near Leia’s shoulder. He hoped her father’s next words would somehow bring her comfort as she lay in her unconscious state. Her real father—not her birth father, but the one who’d truly made her who she was by his example.

_“Please know that my love for you, and your mother’s love, endures long past our deaths. We are forever with you, Leia. In your brightest triumphs and your darkest troubles, always know that we are by your side.” ___

__

__His breath caught when Leia’s eyelids unexpectedly fluttered open and chocolate brown eyes met those of vivid blue, eyes Leia Organa would have known anywhere despite the altered eyebrows, nose and chin she beheld. Clever prosthetics couldn’t disguise those eyes._ _

__

__For a heartbeat neither spoke._ _

__When Leia finally did it was in barely more than a whisper:_ _

__“It was you, then. It was always you.” The last time she’d seen him had been in a hangar bay on Hosnian Prime when Ransolm Casterfo had been dragged away to stand trial for crimes he hadn’t committed. Framed for treason, murder and terrorism, he’d faced almost certain execution.__

 _ _Leia had heard whispers that the ship delivering Casterfo to Riosa had inexplicably arrived without him. She’d always assumed the worst. She’d feared the architects of the First Order had quietly done away with him, for she and the Centrists’ rising star had become dangerously close for their comfort._ _

__“So, you’re the mysterious freedom fighter I’ve heard so much about. I should have guessed.” Leia found the strength to smile. “They say you can do anything.”_ _

__“I only wish that were true.” Both were aware of the cluster of monitors tracking her steadily deteriorating vital signs._ _

__“I did warn you about acquiring a taste for danger!” Her lips quirked into another faint smile._ _

__“I told you that you were a bad influence,” he teased in return. His eyes twinkled but threatened to brim with unshed tears._ _

__“You know, that’s still one of the best compliments anyone’s ever given me.” Leia blinked back her own and they both smiled._ _

__Ransolm leaned forward conspiratorially as he had so many times before: “Then you still haven’t been given enough compliments.” He would have remedied that, given the chance._ _

__

__“It’s time, Ransolm. Time for you, and others like you, to lead.” He wished he could close his eyes and will the truth of that necessity away but Leia continued: “It helps—knowing you’ll go on. That you’ll always do your duty.”_ _

__

__His voice cracked with emotion when he answered her. “You know me so well.” He looked down at his hands for a very long time before continuing. “I couldn’t come to you before. You know why, don’t you. Leia, I—“_ _

__

__“Don’t say it. You don’t need to say it.” She’d lifted one hand weakly in protest. He clasped it in his own and brought it to his cheek so that his lips very nearly brushed it. She could feel his breath warm against her wrist._ _

__

__Tears glistened in Leia’s liquid brown eyes as she smiled at him. “You’re so much more than I ever expected you to be, Ransolm Casterfo.”_ _

__

__His other hand reached out to brush a stray tendril of hair from her cheek and back into place._ _

__

__

__

__+_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> +
> 
>  
> 
> This chapter draws heavily on Claudia Gray’s ‘Bloodline’. Nearly all of the dialogue is verbatim as per conversations Leia and Ransolm have already had and has been repurposed to suit this imaginary conversation.
> 
> The excerpt from Bail Organa’s message is also taken directly from the novel and comes near the end of a secret recording he hid for his adoptive daughter inside a music box.
> 
>  
> 
> (If you’re already familiar with Gray’s novel then don’t bother with the rest of these notes.)
> 
>  
> 
> In it Bail (founding member of the Rebel Alliance) tells Leia the truth of her parentage, a truth he (correctly) fears he will not live to tell her of himself.
> 
> Bail hid Leia’s childhood keepsake chest offplanet in the keeping of a trusted friend, the Governor of Birren. Leia was next in line to inherit that title so one way or another Bail was ensuring Leia would eventually come into possession of the chest and the information hidden inside. (Bail obviously had no way of knowing Luke and Leia would ever find each other, let alone that Luke would find/share what he learned of Vader with his twin.)
> 
> Leia refuses the governorship upon its Lord’s death and passes her title to Carise Sindian. Lady Carise is a secret supporter of the fledgling First Order and nosy enough to poke around inside the box inscribed ‘Leia Organa’. When she discovers the music box’s secret message she realizes she has a powerful weapon in her hands.
> 
> Threatened when the young, charismatic Ransolm Casterfo (traumatized as a child by the cruelty Vader subjected his parents and his home world to) becomes too close to Leia for her liking (Leia and Ransolm cross party lines, join forces and work together intimately for months, unearthing evidence of what eventually becomes the First Order) Sindian breaks the Royal Seal and stuns Casterfo by revealing the truth of Leia’s heritage to him, shattering his trust in her. Stricken, moments later he stands in the Senate to denounce Leia’s candidacy for the newly created office of First Senator (something he lit a fire under the stagnating Senate to create in the first place. If Leia had become First Senator it is conceivable the rise of the First Order could have been prevented.) The entire Senate is aghast, Leia’s political career is destroyed, and so is Leia’s chance to tell her son Ben the truth of his heritage—something she/Han/Luke have kept to themselves for fear of what it might do to him. Leia’s personal struggles with being Darth Vader’s daughter are referred to many times in the novel.
> 
> Leia and Ransolm do reconcile by the end of the book and it is made clear their close relationship is reestablished. However, the last time Leia sees Ransolm he is being escorted onto a shuttle to await trial and probable execution on his home world of Riosa after Carise Sindian frames him for murder, terrorism—and treason.
> 
> Of particular significance is the description of the rage that fills Leia as she watches Ransolm’s ship lift off. She feels herself capable of truly terrible things in that moment and wonders if she finally understands what kinds of feelings might have prompted Anakin Skywalker to turn to darkness.


	2. The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leia continues to lead the Resistance through sheer force of will.

As Ransolm stepped into the control room he was conscious of the looks directed his way. They ranged from the speculative to the openly hostile. All of that was to be expected.

He’d dispensed with his facial prosthetics and abandoned his most recent alias—one of many—to become former Senator Ransolm Casterfo again. That he was so much as allowed in the room at all was only thanks to Leia. She’d granted him full security clearance within minutes of waking from her coma the day before. Ransolm was about to brief the Resistance high command on his extensive knowledge of the complicated situations on Batuu and Sibensko.

 

Greer Sonnel, Joph Seastriker and Temmin Wexley had all welcomed him warmly enough. Even so, they’d been more than a little taken aback to learn that several of the mysterious figures who’d aided them over the years had in fact been one and the same person all along—him. 

Greer had privately made it clear she thought he’d been cruel not to let it be known he still lived. Cruel to Leia, she’d meant. He’d had his reasons. Greer simply hadn’t considered them.

 

She and Joph were among those currently assembled around the large holo table at the centre of the room. He knew the others to be Dameron, Connix, Tico and the former Stormtrooper named Finn. Tico shot him a startled glance. Lando’s Wookiee friend stood to one side with Threepio.

Every one of them looked unsettled and for once it had nothing to do with him. 

Their beloved General was out of her bed and standing in their midst, gesturing toward something on the holo as she patiently explained it to the rest of them. Leia Organa was white as a sheet and looked set to topple right over. The problem was, not one of her subordinates appeared to have a clue as to how to handle that. For once the force of her personality actually seemed to be working against her.

Ransolm was well on his way toward Leia when he caught Greer’s imploring look. Politely greeting the group as a whole, he smoothly interrupted their conversation. 

“Princess Leia, might I have a word?” When he offered her his arm she clutched it gratefully, leaning on him rather than her cane. Careful not to hurry her, he led the Princess straight out the door and around the corner. The instant they were away from prying eyes he abruptly swept her up into his arms and began carrying her down the corridor. That she didn’t protest only confirmed the obvious. 

The indomitable Leia Organa was nearly dead on her feet. Even through her heavy robes he could feel how shockingly frail she’d become.

 

“What are you doing, Casterfo?” Leia sighed wearily. This wouldn’t be the first time he’d taken it upon himself to ‘rescue’ her—the difference being this time she’d actually needed him. The irony was that nobody was even shooting at them.

“Making an executive decision,” he answered quietly. Ransolm continued along the brightly lit corridor. Leia was hardly a burden. He felt her loop her arms around his neck—her hands were awfully cold. Ransolm wondered where she’d left her cane.

“You are _not _a committee,” she griped in fond exasperation.__

__“You’re right, I’m not. You’re about to tell me I’m impossible.” The corner of his mouth twitched and Leia rolled her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had just scooped her up like this. It reminded her of how he’d come to her in the aftermath of the Senate bombing. It occurred to her now that he’d always seems to know just what she needed without her even voicing it._ _

__“I’ve called you worse,” she reminded him drily._ _

__“Only when I’ve deserved it.” Leia finally let her head fall against his shoulder. “Where are we going?” Her voice sounded uncharacteristically small._ _

__“You choose. Your quarters or the medbay. Let’s get you a hover chair. You shouldn’t be up and about.”_ _

__“The medbay,” she reluctantly admitted. “To hell with the hoverchair, we’re nearly there anyway. Besides, this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve made a spectacle of ourselves.” She saw his jaw tense._ _

__“You’re so right.”_ _

__“Have I ever told you how stubborn you are?”_ _

__She could feel the moment he relaxed again.“Often. So are you. That’s why there’s still a Resistance.” Leia didn’t argue.__

__They’d passed several startled people on their way to the medbay by the time Threepio and Poe Dameron caught up with them._ _

__Poe saw to it that the medical staff knew the General had returned to the private chamber she’d so recently marched out of and before long medical droids hovered all about, efficiently taking readings. Throughout their fussing Leia hadn’t relinquished her hold on Ransolm’s hand. Her grip was heartbreakingly weak._ _

__Ransolm was determined to lift her spirits if he could manage it. “They care about you, Leia.” She knew he was referring to her staff. “Every single one of them. So let them do it! You had them all thoroughly cowed in there, you realize. Even the Wookiee.” She smiled at his good-natured scolding. It was just what she’d needed. He knew how important it was for to her to appear strong to those she led. She was the strongest person Ransolm had ever met._ _

__“‘That Wookiee’ will want to shake your hand for this.” Leia informed him._ _

__“Chewbacca. We weren’t properly introduced yesterday. But Lando said—“_ _

__“Lando?” She was incredulous. “You mean to tell me that all this time Lando Calrissian knew you were alive? I’ll—“_ _

__

__“He knew no such thing. He knew me only as the Master Codebreaker of Canto Bight.”__

____

____

__At that Leia threw her head back and laughed. “You? You’re who Finn and Rose went chasing off after? What are the odds of that?” Threepio was just outside the doorway or he would no doubt have given them. Leia shook her head in disbelief. “Since when did you become a gambler? Never mind one so good no one will let you near a card table anymore. You’ve come a long way since our night on Bastatha, Ransolm Casterfo.”__

__He could laugh heartily enough at that. He’d been completely horrified when Leia had started playing Sabbacc on their first Senatorial mission together, believing it well beneath her dignity. He’d been absolutely scandalized when she’d broken the bank and bought a round of drinks for the entire casino._ _

____

____

__

__“Let’s just say you inspired me to convince Lando Calrissian to teach me how to play when the opportunity arose. How else could I keep up appearances?” He made a show of referring to his jacket, a different one than the one he’d worn yesterday. Leia wondered if she’d ever seen him in the same clothing twice. Although she knew Ransolm had lost everything he’d obviously found a way to do much more than just survive.__

__She wasn’t surprised; she knew he’d done so before. This orphan of a ravaged homeworld had gone from beating off other starving scavengers for scraps of food all the way to the Galactic Senate itself. “I had some help along the way.” Someday soon he’d tell her of Maz and Lando and the droids who’d aided him in becoming a master slicer, among other things. That was a story for another time. He was truly looking forward to the expression on Leia’s face when he told her he’d actually taken up smuggling._ _

__

__

__

__He saw Leia eyeing the enamelled pin he wore on his maroon gaberwool jacket. She finally relinquished his hand and reached out to touch the pin gently. “A red plom bloom. For Riosa,” she whispered. He knew she understood. She always did, of course. He’d caught Tico noticing the pin in the control room earlier but knew Rose had done so because she’d recognized it from Canto Bight. Years of practice in espionage had made her reaction impossible for him to miss.__

____

____

__“Always.” He took a deep breath and stepped away from her pallet. He’d heard footsteps approaching._ _

__

__

__

__Poe Dameron entered the chamber along with Threepio and suddenly Leia was the General again. “You will take my quarters, Casterfo.”_ _

__

__

__

__Poe bit back a comment. Ransolm had schooled his face into an expressionless mask but his eyes looked nothing but haunted. She could see that both men were thinking of the very same thing.__

__In retaliation for Leia having formed the Resistance, First Order slicers had doctored footage available from public cams on Hosnian Prime to discredit the Princess further. They’d made it appear as though Senators Organa and Casterfo had engaged in an affair._ _

__Private meetings in her Senate office that sometimes lasted through the night, evidence of numerous late-night holo calls between their private residences, the fact they’d once been alone in a tinted pavilion for hours during a fireworks show, their desperate farewell in the hangar bay after his arrest—all of that had been dredged up and presented as something it had never been. It had meant a field day for the tabloids. As close as they’d become, there had been no affair. Obviously Leia thought it best to get that topic right out of the way._ _

__

____

__

__“Stop looking at me like that! This place is bursting at the seams and there isn’t anywhere else to put you. Besides, we all know I’m never getting out of here again.” Both men knew she was referring to the medbay but all trace of vulnerability had left her. “Think of it this way: When I’m gone, I’ll be everywhere!” She waved her hand around in the air. Leia Organa would be one with the Force, but Dameron and Casterfo dreaded it._ _

__“Dismissed. Now get out of here so I can rest.” Dameron left first and Casterfo was right behind him when Leia asked him to wait. His hands were braced on either side of the door frame when he looked back over his shoulder at her._ _

__

__“Ransolm. Believe me. Han and I ruined our marriage all on our own.” Leia spoke very quietly. He searched her eyes for a moment before turning to leave._ _

__

____

__

__+_ _

__

__A short time later Ransolm was indeed in the General’s quarters and pulling on a plain grey training outfit. He could well imagine more than a few tongues were wagging about the quarters he’d just been assigned. He also knew Leia Organa did nothing by accident. Although the princess hadn’t assigned him a rank she was making some things abundantly clear._ _

__

__He put it out of his mind._ _

__

__He had dispensed with disguises and had promises to keep._ _

__

__He pulled on soft grey gloves and made his way to where Threepio had assured him he could find the girl called Rey._ _

__

__

__+_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Greer Sonnel and Joph Seastriker are devoted to Leia and join the princess and Senator Casterfo on their adventures during Leia’s last days as a Senator. Not only that, they stockpile weapons and chat up likely pilots when it becomes plain the New Republic is hopelessly corrupt and basically on the rocks. In essence they help form the Resistance. In TFA we see Korr Sella (another Leia staffer) perish on Hosnian Prime thanks to the Starkiller, but in my head Greer and Joph are as alive and well as Ransolm Casterfo.
> 
> Although Leia and Ransolm grow very close no actual impropriety occurs between the two in ‘Bloodline’. That being said, Claudia Gray has loaded her novel with all sorts of interesting undercurrents. Or not. Read the book! ;)
> 
> I invented the bit about scandal only because I think it would take more than a colossal fight about their son for Han and Leia’s marriage to be in the state it is by the time of TFA. It’s painfully obvious in Gray’s novel that they spend too much time apart. A scandal wouldn’t exactly help.
> 
> Ben and Rey show up next chapter and stick around.
> 
> I realize this story is not everyone’s cup of tea but I grew up idolizing Princess Leia and can’t stand the thought of her being so alone at the end of her mortal life. (Han and Luke are waiting somewhere, but that doesn’t cut it for me) Even after Casterfo betrays her Leia finds herself wanting to confide in him. That tells you something.
> 
> Casterfo opens up a real Pandora’s box by revealing Leia’s heritage to everyone in Bloodline and I figure he deserves to show up in Episode IX for that alone. (Had Leia become First Senator, it is possible that she and Ransolm could have prevented the rise of the First Order. Clearly Ransolm’s actions helped create Kylo Ren. The Hosnian cataclysm is partially his fault..this guy has a lot to answer for. Again, I hope that’s dealt with in Episode IX)
> 
> In TLJ novelization Maz refers to the Master Codebreaker as one of her ‘favourite beings’, a ‘soldier, a freedom fighter, an ace pilot, a crack shot etc. (Dashing Star Wars James Bond, anyone?) The same description could easily apply to Casterfo so I’ve made the Master Codebreaker Ransolm Casterfo in one of his many guises. (Don’t forget he’s a brilliant orator, too.)
> 
> If Matt Smith doesn’t play him in Episode IX then at least Ransolm lives on in an obscure little fanfic somewhere in the ether :)


	3. The Bond

Exhausted after another strenuous workout, Ransolm and Rey enjoyed a companionable silence. Rey glanced over to where her new training partner sat against the wall with a towel slung around his neck. She took another swig of water from her flask and considered him.

Whatever this man was to Leia, if the General awoke to discover his absence then Casterfo was immediately sent for. Sometimes the door remained open. Other times it did not.

Leia's medbay chamber had essentially become a second control room and on several occasions Poe, Temmin Wexley, Greer Sonnel or Joph Seastriker were asked to join the two former Senators behind those closed doors. Sometimes Rey was, although she often had the feeling they were waiting for her to tell them something. Not that she ever could. How would she explain sharing a bond with the Emperor? 

 

After he'd headed a daring strike on an underwater base hidden on the watery world of Sibensko, Casterfo had finally earned the grudging respect of Vice-Admiral Poe Dameron. Poe liked nothing better than blowing things up and apparently Casterfo was awfully good at locating targets.

She'd also heard he wasn't too shabby at blowing those targets up from an x-wing himself. In short, Ransolm Casterfo was getting to do pretty much everything Rey was burning to. 

Over the span of less than a month the sidelong glances directed toward him had all but disappeared.

 

 

Casterfo preferred to train hard.

So did Rey, and it was a huge relief that she could finally do it without running the risk of hurting somebody. Still, she needed to be careful during their sessions. If she became so lost in concentration that she dropped her defences, her mental walls would weaken enough for the Emperor to learn what she was doing.

Their bond was far from dead and Rey was mentally exhausted from the effort of preventing it from become a liability. They were on opposite sides of an outright war. She doubted that discovering she was honing her combat skills would go over terribly well, especially not since her bondmate was her most likely duelling opponent. 

Nevertheless, she’d found an ideal teacher; the Hosnian system might have been obliterated by the First Order but Ransolm Casterfo seemed bound and determined to single-handedly ensure its legendary martial arts didn't die out along with it. Unfailingly patient and even-tempered, Casterfo fought with a self-control she found enviable.

 

 

"Huttslayer." Casterfo broke their silence.

"Come again?"

"In some circles Leia is known as Huttslayer. Can you imagine that?"

 

"Really."

Ransolm grinned. Rey realized she'd never seen him smile before, not really. It was an engaging smile.

"Really. She once had a run-in with a Hutt. Needless to say, it didn't end well for him." Ransolm took a sip from his own flask and shook his head in what seemed like fond admiration. "If there's anything I've learned, it's to always, always bet on Leia."

Rey nodded in wordless agreement but Ransolm hadn't finished his story. "Rare footage of it still exists, here and there." 

Rey was surprised he was making conversation. Friendly enough with everyone and seldom alone, he nevertheless seemed much like her in that he appeared to keep his own counsel. The obvious exception to that was Leia.

"She once asked me if I wanted to see it, years ago. Warned me that it wasn't pretty. I could hardly refuse. So, I watched it." Rey saw him quirk a brow and smile to himself for a moment before continuing. "I could tell that she was studying my reaction closely. It seemed to be important to her. I had to force myself to keep my face from--" Here he stopped himself in mid-sentence. "Never mind."

"What do you mean?" If he'd brought this up at all he might as well finish his thought. 

Ransolm heaved a sigh. "How to phrase this with any degree of delicacy--let's just say that she was right. 'Pretty' didn't even begin to describe it."

 

He caught Rey's blank look. 

"I can't believe I've lived long enough to admit this." He was muttering under his breath. "It was--how shall I say--unforgettable." Rey thought he looked faintly embarrassed for a moment and couldn't imagine why he would.

 

Rey's brow furrowed. Fortunately Ransolm saw fit to elaborate.

"Jabba the Hutt forced Leia Organa to wear some sort of...metal _bikini _, for lack of a better term." Casterfo made a noise that sounded halfway between a strangled groan and an attempt to stifle a snort of amusement. "Honestly, what kind of idiot would think to do that, never mind insist on keeping her chained to him for good measure!" Ransolm grinned wickedly at Rey before continuing. "Leia would have found a way to strangle him with her bare hands for that alone!"__

____

____

 

Rey wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to this sort of confidence but had difficulty picturing Leia Organa chained to anything or anybody.

Ransolm surprised her by talking again. Rey was beginning to get the feeling his natural inclination was to do rather a lot of it. "At any rate, it made quite an impression, one I was careful to keep to myself. I'd only ever seen her looking rather more like you'd expect a princess might." Ransolm's eyes were twinkling with amusement again. He'd definitely dropped his guard.

"I must have been--I don't know--ten? Twelve, perhaps--when I first saw Princess Leia. On the holonet, of course. Everyone knew who she was. Princess, Senator, leader of the Rebel Alliance. She'd led the fight to save us all from the clutches of Palpatine...and Vader.” 

 

Rey noticed his face shutter when he spoke Vader's name. Vivid blue eyes held hers when he next spoke:

"You have to understand that not every world saw any improvement in its circumstances when the New Republic was born. That's why she and I were on opposite sides of the Senate chamber to begin with. It's why I became a Centrist at all--to help my world.” His wounded world. “To help Riosa." It had felt like he was speaking more to himself than to Rey. He looked down for a moment before picking up the thread of his tale again.

 

"Leia always seemed to be wearing shining white in those days. Later, by the time I knew her, she favoured blue. She wore it often. A beautiful blue."

Rey found herself studying Ransolm Casterfo's very blue eyes.

He averted them and appeared to come to some sort of decision. Fiddling with the bottom of his boot for a moment he extracted a tiny holocube from what must have been a compartment hidden in the heel. He activated the cube so that it projected a recording. Much of the holocube footage Rey had ever seen had been bluish or somewhat distorted but this image was crystal clear and of excellent quality.

 

Two figures hovered in the air between Rey and Ransolm.

"It's a copy of Senate footage from the official archives, retrieved long before the Hosnian cataclysm," he explained. "Cams and holos were synced to make it appear as though we were standing back to back. In reality we were on opposite sides of a vast chamber." They'd spent all night going over what they were going to say.

Ransolm knew her well enough by now to understand that Rey would never have seen any images of the New Republic Senate chamber. However, Rey easily recognized Princess Leia, no longer in the first bloom of youth but appearing far younger than she was now and very beautiful.

 

This Leia's robes were icy blue and she appeared to be standing back to back with a tall, elegant, black-cloaked figure who was none other than a much younger Ransolm Casterfo.

Leia and Casterfo were making a well-rehearsed joint address to the Senate and Rey watched it in its entirety. She was struck by their eloquence but even more by how much they somehow seemed each others' perfect compliment.

 

When the recording ended Casterfo wordlessly pocketed the cube and stood up. He extended a hand to her and she took it without hesitation as he helped her to her feet.

"That's all for today, I think." He spoke very quietly and it seemed to Rey as though his thoughts were far away. That was why he missed the expression on Rey's face as a wall of shock and confusion slammed into her. The bond between she and Ren had abruptly snapped open.

Ransolm certainly didn't miss the dark, looming figure who'd appeared out of thin air right beside Rey. Casterfo was completely shocked. He'd never seen Leia's son but would know those dark eyes anywhere.

With Rey's hand still grasped in his own, Ransolm Casterfo became witness to the bond that lived between Ben Solo and Rey. He immediately released Rey's hand; that break in physical contact meant he was not privy to what happened next.

Ren, white-faced and stricken, was staring at Rey. Dark eyes were huge in his pale face.

In a choked whisper he rasped:

"Who is that? Whose hand did you just take?" 

She'd refused his. She might as well have torn out his soul. 

 

 

+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, past events referred to in this chapter are from Claudia Gray's 'Bloodline' and I take no credit for them. Several of the phrases Ransolm uses in the Huttslayer conversation are actually Gray’s words, not mine. (Yes, I am still encouraging you to read that darn novel!)
> 
> I did invent RC seeing Leia on the holonet as a boy because it seems more than likely. I also took a few liberties with how he might have felt watching a scantily-clad Princess Leia strangle Jabba the Hutt. (My husband assures me there is absolutely NO way he would have been unaffected by that sight unless RC is not attracted to females.)
> 
> Casterfo is apparently a master of Hosnian martial arts skillful enough with a quarterstaff (which transfers easily enough to the Force Pike he uses in the book) to thoroughly impress Princess Leia and Greer Sonnel. So yeah, he could easily help Rey hone her combat skills and whallop pretty much anyone he met in combat--unless they channel the Force, which Rey doesn't when she trains with him.


	4. The Truth

Intent on thrashing his holoprojected foe within an inch of its artificial life, Casterfo didn't give the slightest indication he'd registered Rey's presence when she arrived for their usual practice session. She stayed in the doorway until he'd finished pummelling his opponent with an icy viciousness she'd never seen so much as a hint of before.

When the holo vanished so did this ruthless, lethal version of Leia's confidant.

Ransolm's face held no hint of the cold fury she'd just witnessed when he turned to greet her. In its place was the unfailingly composed expression she and everyone else in the Resistance had become so accustomed to.

She nodded in greeting and the two fell to sparring with their usual intensity, neither making any reference to what had just passed. Rey was left with the distinct impression Ransolm Casterfo sometimes wore as much of a mask as Kylo Ren ever had.

Leia had slipped into another coma two days ago. 

Earlier this morning Rey had encountered Casterfo along with Maz Kanata and a female Togruta whose age it was impossible to guess but whose eyes had seemed to miss nothing when they'd looked into Rey's. They'd been leaving Leia's side just as she and Chewie had arrived.

 

Rey was relieved he still hadn't brought up the incident from a few days' past. She could have sworn Ransolm had seen Ren plainly, but perhaps--

"She knows, Rey. Leia knows you have a connection with her son."Their weapons locked. Rey felt herself grow hot and then cold with shock. Casterfo spoke gently enough but his eyes blazed with an intensity she'd never have guessed he possessed. Rey lowered her weapon and Casterfo immediately followed suit. She didn't know whether to feel relief or dread.

"I wanted to tell her," Rey whispered.

"She already knew. Or guessed, rather. She didn't want to press you, to add to what you're already dealing with." Typical Leia, thought Ransolm to himself. Always prepared to shoulder so much alone.

 

Rey looked utterly miserable. "What she must think of me..." her voice trailed off.

"Believe me when I tell you she doesn't think any less of you for it! And Rey, she guessed, but she doesn't know. I didn't get the chance to tell her. I couldn't tell her now if I tried!" He flung his training staff heedlessly into the corner of the room where it clattered against the wall and fell to the floor. He looked like he ought to punch the same wall for good measure. He'd abandoned all pretense of composure. 

Ransolm's voice cracked. "Now it's too late. She'll never know." He turned away to hide his face. His fists were balled at his sides and he was obviously making an effort to pull himself together. Rey thought she ought to comfort him but was at a loss as to how. A child of solitude, the words and actions she sought didn't come to her before he next spoke.

 

"A Force bond." He spoke the words quietly as he turned to face her again. "They tell me that's what it's called. You share a Force bond with the Emperor."

Shocked, Rey began to stammer an explanation when Casterfo cut her off. "By 'they' I refer to Maz Kanata and Ahsoka Tano, neither of whom are Jedi, both of whom would offer you counsel." They'd certainly given him some advice recently. He pressed on at once. "This bond. Are you able to open it of your own accord?"

She nodded. Yes, she and Ren had learned to control it to a certain extent. It was becoming exhausting to keep him out of her head. There didn't seem to be any point in denying it, not if Casterfo knew what he already did. 

"And if you're touching me, he can see me? Hear me, even?"

"Yes."

"Then I would ask you to do so. To bring him here. There are things Leia's son needs to understand."

Rey couldn’t prevent her sharp intake of breath. No one alive knew Emperor Kylo Ren was actually Leia's lost child. No one save Leia, Rey and Chewbacca--or so she had thought. As close as he and Leia appeared Rey would never have dreamt this man knew it, too. 

 

Mind made up, Rey gave a terse nod. She extended her hand toward the door and Force-slid it shut, sealing it from the inside.

 

This was definitely uncharted territory.

 

"I have no idea how he's going to react," Rey admitted. She had told Ren Ransolm's name but little else. He'd been furious to discover her holding another man's hand, let alone one as handsome as many people seemed to find Leia's confidant. 

"It doesn't matter," he insisted. Rey's eyes searched Ransolm Casterfo's and found only resolve.

She sat down and crossed her legs. Ransolm mirrored her so that they sat with knees nearly touching.

Rey took a deep breath and hesitantly held out her hand. She'd only ever reached for one other person's hand before. When she clasped it Ransolm's was warm but that was all. Rey nudged her bondmate through the link she allowed to flare open between them and gave Casterfo's fingers a reassuring squeeze when she saw his face pale at the sight of Leia's son.

 

He was glowering at Ransolm Casterfo.

 

She felt Ben's piercing stab of jealousy fade almost immediately as her mind entwined with his and he gained complete awareness of her intentions. She relaxed when she sensed only his skepticism and curiosity.

 

For his part Casterfo seemed to be holding his breath. She had to admit he didn't lose his nerve.

"You need to know how it happened." He wasted no time in addressing Ren, who was looming over the seated pair in full Imperial splendour. Everything about his appearance was designed to intimidate and impress. For his part, Casterfo didn’t seem fazed. He simply stood up and faced Ren, still holding Rey’s hand. 

The Emperor spoke next, his tone haughty: "I know what you're referring to because I know precisely who you are. Ransolm Casterfo, the Centrist senator who finally revealed the truth. That the irreproachable Leia Organa, poised to stand as the Populist candidate for the newly created post of First Senator, was in fact a _liar _!"__

__Rey was conscious of Ransolm's tortured expression. "You make what I did seem something admirable. I can assure you it was anything but."_ _

__"How could telling the truth be anything less!" There was anger in Ren’s voice; this ‘conversation’ was touching at something deep and raw._ _

__

__Rey had the feeling one or both of these men was about to explode. Both were far too emotional for her liking just now._ _

__She had a bad feeling about this._ _

__Casterfo surprised her by mastering himself and speaking calmly once more. She was reminded that Leia thought highly of him and that there had to be reasons she trusted him implicitly._ _

__

__Casterfo got straight to the point. " I was foolish enough to allow myself to be manipulated by a _viper _intent on bringing Leia Organa down. My own weakness made me an easy target for Carise Sindian. She knew perfectly well Lord Vader had taken a personal interest in my homeworld and shrewd enough to know exactly what that meant."___ _

____Rey heard Ren's sharp intake of breath. Only she spoke to him so bluntly. Rey knew full well Ren idolized what he imagined Vader stood for._ _ _ _

____"I ought to have thrown her out of my office when she insinuated Princess Leia had played me for a fool. I very nearly did! I distinctly remember telling her there was literally _nothing _she could say that would ever cause me to think less of Leia Organa. We'd worked too closely together for too long, I'd come to know your mother too well. I was wrong! Sindian guessed my greatest weakness. In that, she knew me better than I knew myself."___ _ _ _

______It had always been clear to Ransolm Casterfo that Leia became agitated beyond the point of reason at the sight of the Imperial relics he'd once displayed so proudly in his Senate office. He'd failed to recognize the mere thought of Vader did that and much more to _him _until it was far too late.___ _ _ _ _ _

________"You need to know what a monster Vader truly was." Composed as Casterfo was, he nearly spat the words._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The Emperor was glaring at him. "You know nothing," Ren hissed. He gave a start when Casterfo stepped within inches of him. Rey had one hand on each man's arm now. They were quite literally staring each other down. Rey didn't know which of them was the more stubborn but Ren's emotions were roiling as she'd only ever sensed once before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________One of these men had questions and the other had answers. Rey didn't say a word. She resolved to let this play out as the Force willed it._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Vader could take whatever he wanted from people. I saw him do it often enough with my own eyes. We both know there's a way for you to form an opinion of him for yourself, don't we?" Casterfo reminded him. His tone came within a hair's breadth of a taunt. Rey realized Casterfo was fully committed to a course of action she never would have anticipated. She’d never thought him reckless before._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Rey took one of Ren’s hands in her own when she sensed his extreme agitation, sending him warm pulses of reassurance through their bond. The tendrils of their minds were interwoven enough for her to tell he understood exactly what Casterfo was suggesting, even if it took him aback. She wondered exactly what sort of advice Maz and the Togruta named Ahsoka had given him.________

 _ _ _Rey saw him look at Casterfo and lift a questioning eyebrow. He'd never been invited into someone's memories before. Casterfo gave a single nod. Despite emotions running high these two understood each other surprisingly well._ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"As you wish." With that Ren lifted a black-gloved hand to Casterfo's temple._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He recoiled in horror a split-second later when a child's naked terror and remembered anguish tore through his consciousness._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Fear such as Rey had never herself experienced seared itself into her mind alongside Ren’s. Interwoven as their thoughts were, Rey saw and felt all of it--how another looming, black-gloved figure had forced a traumatized child to watch as Vader tortured his papa, how Vader had choked the life out of hapless workers unfortunate enough to displease their Lord, how prisoner after prisoner suffered the wrath of a masked monster feeding off pure terror and fear.________

 _ _ _Riosa and its people had been ravaged in the name of building the Death Star and that truth couldn't be disputed._ _ _

________Ben jerked himself away from the violence of the contact. He was shaking. He'd let go of Rey just as she had let go of Ransolm. That left Rey as the only one who could see everyone who was part of this bizarre interaction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ransolm was looking haunted and vindicated at the same time._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Instantly Rey reached for both of them again. She’d wager they weren't done by a long shot._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"That's all I ever saw, Ben Solo, every time I heard his name. I feared that monster. I loathed him, and anger and hatred did nothing but blind me! It made me forget all I knew of Leia. Fear led me to make the worst mistake of my life!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Ah yes, your ‘revelation’ destroyed Leia Organa’s precious political career!" Ren sneered, but Rey could feel how shaken he was by the horrors he'd glimpsed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Casterfo appeared to lose his temper. "Don't you understand? My weakness led to the obliteration of the entire Hosnian system! Billions upon billions of people are dead because I was a fool! Had I not been so shamefully weak, so easily manipulated, the First Order might never have prevailed! Can you not see that? Had I not denounced her, Leia Organa would have been elected First Senator! I will not deny the influence I was rapidly gaining within my own party. Even without its support, Leia and I could have bridged the gap tearing the New Republic apart, I still believe that. Instead, five planets are dead because of a choice I made! Leia's reputation is not all I destroyed that day, is it?"________

___Rey felt like she could barely breathe. Ransolm's tone changed completely. It became sad and gentle instead. Her mind was linked with Ben Solo's but anyone would have felt Casterfo’s deep regret. "She hadn't told you the truth of your heritage, and I deprived her of that chance. I mocked her for it--I told her you were a man grown, that she was a coward for never having told you who your grandfather was. I didn't know the half of it.” He closed his eyes before speaking again and when he did, it was in barely more than a whisper._ _ _

___“You truly cannot imagine what Darth Vader did to his very own daughter. I could barely face the thought of Vader. But Leia...what he did to her made all that I suffered pale in comparison. Only after I'd ruined everything did I understand that she could barely bring herself to think of him, let alone tell me or anyone else of the monster who arose from the man who'd sired her. I can’t imagine how she must have felt, knowing she’d need to tell her own child someday."_ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ren said nothing. He didn't resist when Casterfo actually took his black-gloved hand, put it to his temple and held it there himself. Clearly there was more he had to say.________

 _ _ _"You speak of your mother’s political career. What you do not understand is that she buried herself in it partly because of all that Darth Vader represented. She loved you more than anything. Believe me, she has serious regrets. Leia Organa is the strongest person I've ever known, and she was more scarred by Vader than I ever was. She only wanted to protect you. Never doubt that she still loves you more than anything." Only then did Ren reach into Casterfo's mind again, tentatively this time._ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Amidst the swirl of images greeting him--Casterfo retching into a wastebasket after being stricken with uncertainty after his public denunciation of Leia, glass shattering during their impassioned screaming match when they’d fought in his office, each believing the other had betrayed them--amidst all of those jumbled pictures one thing was crystal clear.: Leia's prime concern had indeed always been for Ben alone. That was why she’d truly been enraged._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________In Ransolm’s memories Leia was shouting at him that her father had tortured her for hours, he'd forced her to watch as Alderaan and everything and everyone she'd ever loved was destroyed, that Vader had frozen Han in carbonite, that he'd cut off Luke's hand. Leia had wanted to spare Ben that, too.________

___The feeling Ben had sensed when he'd nearly taken that shot on the Raddus--the one his wingmates had taken in his stead--he hadn't been wrong at all. He'd felt her fear then, too. It had indeed been fear _for _him, not fear of him.___ _ _

___Something shattered inside Kylo Ren and Rey felt when it happened._ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ben slowly removed his hand from Casterfo’s face and the two eyed each other cautiously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"As you can see, Vader cast a long shadow." Casterfo blinked and took a small step back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Ben Solo said nothing.________

___Before Casterfo left them he made one final comment: “She and I despised each other once, you realize. She hated everything she thought I stood for. I felt much the same way about her.” He smiled wryly. “Did you know I once told her the Rebellion consisted mainly of murderers, terrorists and thieves?” He smiled grimly at the expressions on their faces._ _ _

___“We learned to build bridges. Leia and I were given the chance to change everything. I ruined ours. The Force has blessed you with with something truly unique. Don’t throw it all away.”_ _ _

___With that, he let go of Rey’s hand, turned on his heel and left._ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember that scene from TFA when Kylo calls Rey’s new Resistance friends something to the effect of ‘murderers, terrorists and thieves’? 
> 
> Ransolm says pretty much the same thing to Leia when they argue about the Rebellion. (I’m too lazy to look it up. I’m also too lazy to come up with wording less similar to Gray’s when Ransolm describes Leia’s reaction to his ‘collection’ /the passage describing Sindian’s surprise visit to his office.That makes me a thief, too—hats off to Claudia Gray. :)


	5. The Gift

Slumped over with his head resting on one arm, Casterfo had the fingers of his other hand entwined with Leia's. His back was to the door, the last place anyone who'd spent years engaged in espionage would normally have positioned himself. His hair was every which way and for once he was in shirtsleeves. Rey hadn't seen him remotely dishevelled before. She wasn't even sure he was awake. She reached out and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

That jolted him upright.

 

"She can hear you." Rey didn't know what else to tell him. 

"The Force allows for you to reach her still?" Casterfo spoke very slowly. Somehow he wasn’t surprised. He hadn't taken his eyes off Leia's face. 

Rey nodded. "She can hear you," she assured him. Rey reached out and trailed her fingertips lightly along Leia's cheek.

"She's asking you to...take her hair down, Ransolm. If you'd like to, that is." Rey felt tears welling up at the intensity behind the emotions she'd just sensed from Leia. She had no concept of the significance of those words but judging by the look on his face Casterfo certainly did.

She thought it best to leave the room. "I'll be back in a bit."

 

Leia’s hair was in a long, loose braid over the shoulder closest to him, just the way she’d always worn it seven long years ago. Leia had taken to pinning it up again when she'd founded the Resistance, and when Han Solo had died she'd added a traditional mourning braid in his honour. Technically it was a twist, even though it was named a braid.

Ransolm knew enough now of Alderaanian hair traditions to realize what it had signified when she'd begun wearing it in a loose braid once again. It had been the day she'd awakened from her coma, the day he'd come back to her.

"Oh, Leia,” he sighed. "It would have been so easy." Like breathing, really. They'd never gotten enough of each other's company, not ever. Not even the handful of genuine arguments they'd had--the heated ones, always prompted by Vader--would ever overshadow that. They'd started out as bitter enemies, but Ransolm knew he'd never respected anyone more than he’d come to respect Leia Organa. 

That wasn’t the half of it, not by far. Not any more. He’d had enough of fooling himself. Ransolm lifted Leia’s hand to his cheek, this time pressing a tender kiss to her wrist before setting her hand back down. 

After some hesitation he finally slipped the tie from her hair and allowed himself to card his fingers through the silk of it. Those tresses were threaded through with silver now but were still so very beautiful. 

"You're right," he whispered to Leia. "It would have been glorious."

What he would have given to see her smile again.

 

 

When Rey returned it was hand in hand with Ben Solo through their bond. Casterfo wasn't aware of their presence at all until the tall, pale man reached the opposite side of Leia's pallet and took the princess’ other hand. 

The instant Ben Solo did so a look of pure joy transformed his mother’s still features. There was no doubt she’d sensed her son through the gift that was the Force. 

Ransolm saw he had been wrong about the Emperor's eyes. They weren't Leia's at all, not now that they were out of the shadows. Instead, they were the colour of the finest Corellian brandy—perhaps even the galaxy’s most ancient amber.

Ben Solo noticed Leia's hair fanned out over her shoulder but made no comment.

With his free hand Ransolm slipped Leia's mirrored music box from his pocket and offered it to her son. Then he gave Leia's hand one final, gentle squeeze.

"I've brought you something, Leia," he whispered. Not alone. Of course not. But he'd like to think he'd helped. Without a word to anyone else, Casterfo stood up. He feathered a kiss against Leia's brow and departed.

 

+

 

"With your permission I'd like to request a brief leave of absence."

Vice Admiral Poe Dameron was taken aback, and so was Commander Seastriker. Ransolm Casterfo stood stiffly at attention, posture perfect, face an expressionless mask. He had no official rank but that he was asking them for permission to do anything at all struck them both as absurd. 

The more Leia had begun publicly deferring to Casterfo, the more everyone else had followed suit. It had been something of a relief to the rest of them, really. Casterfo was a born leader and Leia Organa had made it obvious she was passing him the torch she'd carried for so long. Rank or no rank, in their minds the chain of command was clear.

The two couldn't help but exchange a puzzled look. Casterfo was leaving? He'd been working to undermine the First Order since before the rest of the galaxy had ever known its name. But leave Leia? How often had he ever strayed from her side?

 

Joph understood first. The longer he studied Casterfo's face the more apparent it became that the man was barely holding it together. 

"Take as long as you need." General. He'd nearly said it. 

Seastriker saw the moment everything dawned on Poe. "How long will you be gone?" Dameron managed to choke the question out before looking like his own world was just about to fall apart.

"Three days should suffice. There are arrangements to be made." 

 

+

 

 

 

The Master Codebreaker breezed through Cantonican Planetary Control. Unlike the hordes of tourists descending upon the glittering artificial playground of Canto Bight, he was afforded every courtesy and the usual questions were only a formality.

 

"Is it your intention to act as an active agent of a political, parapolitical, military or paramilitary organization while on Cantonica?" In other words, was he a spy.

The usual question, asked only as a matter of form. All he ever had to do was raise an eyebrow, flash what he knew to be a charming smile, airily make some sort of noncommittal comment. Good entrances were important in Canto Bight:

"Surely not! Allow me to compliment you on your refreshing sense of humour."

"Imagine that!"

"Surely you wouldn't take me for a spy!" No, he was a caricature. Sometimes he'd wink for good measure. Always he'd be waved away to whatever luxury speeder they'd have taken care to arrange for him and whisked away to his preferred accommodations in Canto Bight, the beating heart of which was the Canto Casino.

The Master Codebreaker was enough of a celebrity on Cantonica that his tastes were well known. Besides, everyone knew he was here for the Casino. Everyone also knew his particular talents saw him restricted to dice games. They had no idea of his long game.

This time, when the Planetary Control Officer asked him the usual question, his reply was: "Not today." 

That prompted a chuckle from the bored officer. She shot her colleague a look of amusement. Such a character, the Master Codebreaker. She was glad he’d come through her line.

To their immense surprise the enigmatic gentleman waved off the usual offer of transportation, opting instead to stroll through the glittering artificial paradise of Canto Bight on the way to his hotel. Whatever glossy speeder that materialized would have been chauffered by an organic driver, one of the many well placed informants in his elaborate network of strategically placed drivers, waiters, bartenders, jockeys and stablehands. He’d recruited them over the years through various means.

Passing through the city's elaborate gardens, he meandered until his feet took him to the piazza and its famed musical fountain. Lining the piazza were what he and many others had always regarded as the crowning glory of Canto Bight, a sight so sublime it only accentuated the garish ridiculousness of the rest of it. 

For here, grown from a private seed bank at astronomical cost, was a priceless grove of sun-sensitive Chinar trees, a legacy of the long-destroyed, peaceful world of Alderaan. That alone marked it as out of place in this paradise for those who profited from the galaxy's conflict.

 

He'd timed his arrival to coincide with when their sunpetal blossoms were at their peak for the day. Their spicy, fiery fragrance exploded around him as he sat beneath the Chinar trees on a cool stone bench. He lingered for a very long time. 

Eventually the solitary figure in the immaculately tailored gaberwool coat and Sleedaran silk scarf stood up. 

His contacts on Cantonica were many; he knew full well how one could bypass the usual channels.

 

 

+

One morning not long afterward, the galaxy gathered to pay its final respects to Leia Organa--Princess of Alderaan, respected Senator, leader of the Rebel Alliance, founder of the Resistance, General of the New Rebellion. Darth Vader's daughter, though that felt completely irrelevant. Huttslayer, to some. 

Freedom fighter to all.

Nestled among the abundance of floral garlands draped over and around her glass coffin was an incalculably precious arrangement of freshly picked Alderaanian sunpetal blossoms.

 

 

 

 

+

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My kids have the TLJ visual dictionary, which is where I discovered the bit about Leia’s mourning braid. There are other hair references in the young adult novel “Leia: Princess of Alderaan” by Claudia Gray.
> 
> I figure Leia’s long, loose braid in ‘Bloodline’ symbolizes...a lot.  
> 
> “It would have been glorious” has a certain significance in Gray’s novel so I decided to use it here, too.
> 
> The Cantonican security officer's spiel is taken directly from the novel 'Canto Bight', and while setting descriptions are not verbatim they are pretty darn close at times. (Read the book--there are some intriguing little nuggets to chew on, especially in relation to the pair of tall, pale sisters from another dimension.)


	6. The New Galactic Alliance

Perched on a plateau overlooking an enormous piazza, the galaxy's new seat of government was a dazzling white against the blue of a cloudless sky. Parliament was not in session this day. Instead, its elegant marble buildings played host to tourists and the occasional school group, some decidedly more enthusiastic than others.

They'd all be on their knees thanking the Force for what those buildings symbolized if they'd been there, mused the solitary figure seated in the plaza far below.

 

It was a miracle the galaxy had survived at all. 

Few would ever comprehend all that the Chosen One had done to save them. The last Skywalker had risen like the sun out of the darkness he’d been shrouded in to become the galaxy’s saviour. With him, the known worlds had finally united in the face of the terrifying threat from beyond. Despite being no Jedi, Casterfo himself had actually wielded a laser sword in a battle fiercer than any from the wildest of his childhood dreams. He hadn’t been the only one.

It had been a nightmare. He’d never have believed any of it had he not been there himself. 

 

As was his habit, he sat on a cool stone bench in the dappled shade of an Alderaanian Chinar tree. There were twin rows of the priceless trees lining three sides of the piazza and they were nearly mature now.

He liked to sit here at midday when the sun reached its peak, for that was when the sunpetal blossoms would burst forth with their distinct fragrance. The musical fountains in the heart of the reflecting pool dominating the square would still for a time, and the spicy fire of those blossoms would waft over the entire square. The mosaic beneath the pool's surface could be seen most clearly then. 

A five-pointed starbust centred it, each of those five points representing a lost world of the Hosnian system. At its heart was the sigil of Alderaan. Thrawn, their Chiss ally, had overseen the mosaic’s design and Ransolm had wholly approved of it. It was meant to serve as a reminder of what had once been and what must never again come to pass.

He recalled Bail Ogana's shattered statue in the aftermath of the Senate bombing when the New Republic had begun its fall. He knew Leia would have hated a statue in her honour. She'd have loved the trees. He had a feeling she'd approve of the reflecting pool, too. Reflection was important.

 

The mosaic was clearly visible from the government buildings above, especially from the chambers of the one who held the galaxy's highest office. He'd held it himself for a long, long time. What had Leia joked the night they'd rehearsed their one and only joint address to the Senate? That she'd begin, but that he'd best be the one to finish? He thought that he finally might have.

He'd promised Leia he'd always do his duty.

 

The tour groups were making their way down the enormous staircase now, looking for all the world like ants swarming this way and that. Some posed for holos in front of the reflecting pool, others used the graceful marble buildings crowning the top of the plateau as their backdrop. He was glad they could be so carefree. It was what he and the others had fought for. 

 

The galaxy was very different now. Conflict would always exist—how could it not?— but gone was the seemingly insurmountable divide that had led to war on an unprecedented scale. Gone was the Force, something so many had scoffed at the existence of to begin with. He never had; he’d seen the embodiment of its darker aspects as a child and had always known better.

 

 

Clusters of people were moving toward where he sat in the shade. They saw a very old man, of course. His robes were grey, his hair was white, and in his gnarled hands was a simple quarterstaff. He preferred it to a cane. Three rings glinted on his fingers; he could still slide them over his knuckles despite being in his tenth decade. One was his wedding band and the others were signet rings--one for the New Galactic Alliance, the other for Riosa. Always.

Some of the groups were drawing close enough for him to hear their chatter. Yes, they'd seen him. He knew what they imagined they saw--the galaxy's most venerable statesman, the incomparable orator, the 'politician above politics', the daring war hero...

They didn't remember the rest, it seemed. How strange. He’d never forget.

One of them approached. Someone always did, eventually. Not that he truly minded. He had many stories to tell, although he was content to let others write them down.

 

The one who drew nearest this day was a young girl of about ten. Her parents held themselves back a pace or two. The stories he told were meant for children but he knew full well adults enjoyed them, too. A small crowd had gathered around them a respectful distance away. His voice was known to ring out clearly enough even at his advanced age. He smiled to himself in amusement at the realization he'd become something of a tourist attraction.

Would this green-eyed chit with golden hair ask him for yet another tale of wartime heroics? That was the usual request, given that this age was so far removed from the one when war had raged across the stars.

He saw a spark of intelligence in her eyes and was pleased to discover she was leaving the choice of story to him. He motioned for her to take a seat beside him on the bench beneath the sunpetal blossoms. A small crowd gathered round, and Ransolm Casterfo began his favourite tale:

 

"Once there was a princess who'd lost everything—everything but hope. She led us all to something new..."

 

 

+


End file.
